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Elf on a Shelf

Love it or hate it?
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With two three year olds and a one year old I'm in the target market for the little dude, but we don't have one.
I chuckle at some of the pictures of the shenanigans I see him put in on FB and Pinterest, but overall, the idea annoys me.
So, I guess I'm on the fence about Elf on a Shelf.

I think it's cute... to a point. But seriously, the kids already have Santa and Jesus looking over their shoulders... One of my friends uses her elf as a way to keep her kids "well-behaved" but I think it's sending a very wrong message. But then, my hubby and I have never been big "Santa" people... our Santa usually brings a small gift and fills the stocking, that's it. Other Santas, I know, decorate the tree, wrap all the presents, bring all the presents, etc, etc. We keep it simple, because by golly, if my kids gets *exactly* what they want for Christmas, I want them to know that *I* got it for them, not some dude in a red suit that they'll never see. hahahaha
But I digress.
I think it's a cute idea, but definitely not for us.

Too much work...I find that I don't need to add anything to the stress of the holidays and having to remember to move the little guy is just too much for me. But I have seen some adorable things that people have done with their elf and I could see how it could be really useful for some families, just not for me.

hahaha... yes! This was a great article Kaleena, but this was by far my favorite part:

"Let’s set aside the fact that the elf looks like every toy that ever came alive in a scary movie and tried to eat someone’s face. I think his eyes are supposed to be mischievous, but instead he looks like he is just waiting to shriek “time to play” and gnaw through your Achilles tendon, leaving you unable to defend yourself. Yes, let’s set that aside (but not too far aside, safety first) too."

Not unimportantly, it follows up the dreadful message from Twitlight that it is perfectly acceptable for some creature to come to your house and watch you sleep if they claim that it is for you benefit.

"Likewise we are now knee deep into helpful hints for surviving Christmas. Apparently the celebration of the birth of Christ has become so complex that it, like a knife fight, an open-seating budget flight, or Mondays, needs surviving."

I read an article about a child who was crying because the elf had to go home. She couldn't enjoy Christmas because she kept crying about the elf. The parents ended up showing her an ad selling the toy and telling her it wasn't real. It's supposedly been around for years but I only heard about it a few years ago. I love seeing all the creative ways people pose their elves but it's definitely not for us.

We do the elf on the shelf we have been doing it since 2010. We enjoy it a lot. It's just something else fun for my girls to look forward to and enjoy during the holidays. Here Santa doesn't watch you that's what our elf is for. Santa is too busy so his elves do the job. Like in the Polar Express. He is not for every family though. I was afraid when we got him that we'd have crying fits over him. He doesn't go anywhere but the main parts of the house. No bedrooms, girls are not allowed to touch him. You get use to him. We don't use him to help with keeping the kids behaved, or anything. He's just fun here. I love Christmas and I love the sparkle in my girls eyes when they see him. I love that they can let their imaginations run free. I have an 8 yr old and I know she's getting to the age to where she will know he's just a creepy creepy elf doll. But I'm enjoying the memories I'm making and they are having a blast with him. I have forgot to move him more than a few times and they don't mind. I don't stress over it, He just doesn't something big the next day. He's either chilling in a spot or he's making doing something. It's something we'll continue to do and I hope that maybe they continue to do it when they have a family just for fun.